Partitions as Origins and Reminiscence Carriers
The inventive apply of Kai Semor emerges from a protracted and sustained relationship with partitions, surfaces, and the bodily act of portray. Residing and dealing in Cologne, he brings almost three many years of expertise as a graffiti artist into a up to date summary language that feels each grounded and expansive. His early years had been formed by classical model writing, a self-discipline that skilled his eye, physique, and sense of rhythm via repetition and scale. That basis stays current, not as lettering, however as an internalized vocabulary of motion and spatial consciousness. During the last ten years, his consideration has shifted more and more towards summary portray, a transition pushed by an everlasting fascination with large-format works encountered in museums and public areas.
These formative experiences proceed to affect how he approaches portray at this time. The reminiscence of standing earlier than monumental canvases, whether or not summary, realist, or surreal, informs his ambition to create works that command area and a spotlight. Even when engaged on smaller codecs, his compositions retain a way of growth, as if they’re fragments of one thing bigger. The floor isn’t handled as impartial. As an alternative, it turns into an lively participant, echoing the partitions that first formed his inventive instincts. This sensitivity to scale and materials presence connects his early street-based apply to his present studio work in a seamless and considerate approach.
Semor’s growth was additionally formed by a decisive private turning level. After spending fifteen years working in an workplace setting, he acknowledged that stability alone couldn’t substitute achievement. Selecting to desert a predictable revenue in favor of an unsure inventive path marked a profound shift in his life. This determination continues to tell the seriousness and focus of his apply. Portray isn’t approached casually or as a passion, however as a vital and life-defining pursuit. That dedication is felt within the density of his surfaces and within the endurance required to construct every composition, layer by layer, with out shortcuts.
Kai Semor: From Classical Writing to Constructed Abstraction
The transition from graffiti writing to summary portray in Semor’s work didn’t occur abruptly, however via sustained experimentation with spray cans and surfaces. Spray paint stays central to his course of, appearing as each a technical software and a conceptual bridge between previous and current. By way of it, he discovered rising entry to abstraction, discovering how gesture, overspray, and gradient might substitute letterform whereas preserving power. His model resists easy classification, combining clear kinds with smooth transitions, textured buildings, and overlapping planes that generate depth. Every portray feels assembled relatively than improvised, despite the fact that he by no means depends on preparatory sketches.
Shade performs a defining function in establishing this sense of building. Semor repeatedly returns to a particular palette that features Malachite55, H2.10.60, dusky pink, black, white, greyscale tones, and neon purple. These hues are usually not chosen for ornamental impact, however for his or her capability to articulate area and rigidity. Muted fields set up calm and order, whereas sharper accents introduce disruption and focus. Fluorescent purple, particularly inside his FluorSeries, operates as a visible catalyst. It punctuates the floor, pulling the attention throughout layers and anchoring compositions which may in any other case dissolve into environment.
Regardless of the precision of his outcomes, emotion stays the first motivation behind the work. Slightly than partaking with overt political narratives or illustrative themes, Semor makes use of abstraction to course of inside states. Sweeping motions acquainted from graffiti are compressed and translated into smaller codecs, the place they work together with geometric blocks and sprayed textures. This interaction between management and impulse defines the emotional core of his work. Viewers are invited to sense rigidity, steadiness, and launch with out being directed towards a hard and fast interpretation, permitting the work to stay open and experiential.
Structure, Texture, and the Archive of the On a regular basis
A deep fascination with structure and uncooked materials surfaces underpins a lot of Semor’s visible language. On a regular basis encounters with the constructed setting grow to be moments of quiet examine. When strolling previous partitions, he examines concrete, chipped paint, wooden imprints, and refined gradients shaped by time and climate. These observations are documented via images and picked up into a private archive that capabilities as a wellspring of affect. What attracts him most is uncovered concrete, notably when it bears traces of building processes or pure put on. These surfaces supply a steadiness between rigidity and vulnerability that resonates strongly along with his method to portray.
This archive doesn’t function a supply for direct imitation. Semor avoids copying textures or recreating particular partitions. As an alternative, he permits the emotional and visible influence of those supplies to information his selections as soon as he steps into the studio or approaches a wall. The affect is filtered via reminiscence and instinct, leading to compositions that really feel acquainted but unplaceable. Constructions emerge that counsel structure with out depicting it, and surfaces seem weathered with out referencing a particular location. This methodology permits the work to stay summary whereas retaining a powerful sense of fabric authenticity.
The portray course of itself is pushed by an preliminary impulse that always results in engaged on a number of items concurrently. This fashion of shifting between works sustains momentum and retains instinct lively. Portray turns into a bodily and sensory expertise, fueled by motion, the scent of paint, and steady interplay with surfaces. His willpower to benefit from time obtainable is obvious on this energetic workflow. Straightforwardness and self-discipline act as quiet motors behind the scenes, guaranteeing that pleasure and focus stay aligned all through the method.
Kai Semor: Scale, Collaboration, and Significant Moments
Whereas studio work kind an important a part of Semor’s apply, large-scale works have performed a big function in shaping his inventive development. In 2025, he realized a mural spanning 120 sq. meters in Euskirchen, Germany, a venture that demanded each bodily endurance and compositional readability. One other landmark expertise passed off in Wageningen within the Netherlands, the place he collaborated with fellow artist and shut pal JackLack on a wall measuring 60 meters in top and 25 meters in width. These initiatives had been intense and immersive, pushing his summary language into architectural dimensions the place each determination carried amplified penalties.
Such murals are usually not remoted achievements, however extensions of a broader dialogue between scale, floor, and collaboration. Working alongside different artists introduces new rhythms and shared problem-solving, enriching his understanding of abstraction in public area. On the similar time, Semor locations equal worth on moments of quiet development throughout the studio. He speaks of a selected studio piece that introduced him deep satisfaction and private growth, highlighting that significance isn’t measured solely by dimension or visibility. Encounters with individuals and fellow artists, whether or not throughout exhibitions or casual exchanges, proceed to form his perspective and motivation.
Every day routines present a gentle framework for this evolving apply. Mornings sometimes start within the studio or at a wall, accompanied by easy rituals reminiscent of espresso earlier than returning to ongoing initiatives or initiating new ones. This steadiness between continuity and openness retains the work responsive and alive. At present, his focus is directed towards an exhibition opening in February, whereas a number of initiatives deliberate for 2026 are already taking form. This forward-looking mindset displays a apply rooted in expertise but continually oriented towards new prospects.
